, 1887-11-17
About Fishery Development
CLALAM County, w. T..
November 10, 1887.

-G,, Editor Some thirteen months
ago | wrote Il letter descriptive of
this country-Puget Sound and the
the Straits Of Fuca. and the resour-
ces OF both lands and waters. This
letter | sent to my old time Boston,
Mass, friend Wm. 4. Wilcox, who,
when L knew him there, was Secretary
Of the Boston Fish Bureau, an insti-
tuition run by subscriptions of the
leading fish merchants of that city.
Since then Mr. Wilcox has become
quite noted for his interest and ex-
tensiye labOrs betOwed on the great
Atlantic fisheries. and also the getting
up of the standard statistics as far
back as 1909, also that of Great Brit
ain. Isle Of Man, Scotland, Ireland
with Grimsby. England, the largest
fishing port IN the world, with It's
7GS vessels engaged in fishing. 1t is
ali exhaustive work on the fish subject
Prof Baird, L. s. Fish Commioner.
saw his work and Immediately gave
Mr.. Wilcox the supervision of the
work he desired to have done on the
Atlantic sea-board-a section of that
coast beginning at Martha's Ninyard,
taking in the waters of Rhode Island,
Massachusetts, New Hampshire and
Maine. He still holds his position
and was called by the Prof to his
death-bed side just before he died al
Woods Hall, Il few months since,
Mr.. Wilcox has been the recipient OF
numerous lengthy notices in all the
leading journals of the eastern coast.
especially III those of Boston, which
were very fiattering. He thoroughly
understands the fish business from
beginning to end. He Is now mana
ger Of the American Fish Bureau, an
institution wholly supported by the
numerous fish men of New England.
besides I. ). Fish Commissioner !
simply wrote Mr. Wilcox a private
letter III which | gave pretty good
account OF the HRiOOked. AFTER (but
iIttlr.) fish III these waters, knowing
he would be as much Interested in
that as anything | could write him.
IL Il few weeks after the departure OF
ny letter | received leading Boston
daily containing my letter entire and
q letter from Mr.. Wilcox, explaining
the matter OF It's publication and de-
sired me 10 write more on the same
snbiect / did so-some five or six
more letters, all of which were pub
hseed III the Cape Ann AdrertiSer, a
paper printed at Gloucester, Mass,
and they were all republished in the
Boston Daily Globe and Herdtd, the
two leading and most extensively cir
culated newspapers in New England,
they were-somc of them-re-pub-
lished i'll the \. Y. World and a lead
ing Chicago newspaper. La a short
time letters Of Inquiry came pouring
IN from different parties throughout
New England and Nova Scotia,
Prince Edwards Island, New Bruins
wick and New FoundIand. Messrs.
Mcdonald X Co, of Prince Ed
wards Island wrote me and | ans
wered l hear one of these gentle
mel has come to Port Townsend on
the strength of my letter. Capt. Sol
ONION jacobs, of Gloster. known as
the hing Mackeral Killer was
most enthusiastic over my accounts
and came Out last July-taking IL trip
over the Sound, Straits of Fuca, and
Charlotts Sound; visiting the cities
OF Victoria, Port Angeles, Port Town
send and Seattle, and returned fully
satisfied his three or four schooners
could do him more good in these wa
ters than they have been doing for
four or five years past on the New
England coast, the Gulf of ST. Law
renee and all those noted fishing
banks. lie has corresponded with
me to great length and 1 have given
HIM as much information as my linn
tied knowledge would admit, as also
with Mr.. Wilcox. The result from
this correspondence is that Capt. ia
cobs' vessels left about the middle of
October ior here, all splendidly
equipped with small boats made after
a pattern gave him eighteen Of
theml, guns, ammunition and all
sorts of fishing tackle, etc Seven
teen men are with the schooners
Dolly Adams and Webster. The two
schOouers are both noted for their
heetness and weather qualities. Capt.
Jacobs brings Oh about New Year )
twenty men with him by raiI-alI are
expert sealers and fishermen. Capt.
" IN. Herrick, another corressondcnt
oi mine, Is 10 come with hundred
ton schooner well equipped. Capt.
HerrIck has Ecel master u (. i.llgo
sAiaek ior t"cEty-eight ycar,-so /
presume he understands It. There
are several others coming during the
winter with vessels. | enclose IN
this mali a copy of Mr.. Wilcox's An
nual Report of the American Fish